Florida ranks 5th in nation for student AP success

Florida continues to be a national leader in the percentage of its high school students who tackle — and pass — Advanced Placement courses, according to a report released Tuesday.

The state ranked fifth in the nation for the percentage of 2013 graduates who had passed at least one AP exam, meaning they showed mastery of college-level material, the College Board's "10th Annual Report to the Nation" showed.

Florida dropped one place from last year, but its percentage of successful exam takers, 27.3 percent, was the same as in 2012, with about 4,000 more students taking AP exams. And it was second in the country, behind only Connecticut, for its increase in AP student success in the past decade.

In 2003, 15.3 percent of Florida's graduating class left high school with a passing AP score, which is 3 or better on the five-level test.

For the Class of 2013, Maryland had the highest percentage who graduated with a passing AP score, at 29.6 percent, followed by Connecticut, Virginia and Massachusetts.

Advanced Placement courses are available in many subjects, from English literature to U.S. history to calculus.

Since 2000, Florida has pushed schools to offer more AP classes, meant to mimic introductory university courses, as a way to challenge students and better prepare them for college. Classes once restricted only to a high school's top students were opened to many more teenagers, who can earn college credit with AP scores of 3 or higher.

Some worry the high failure rate on AP exams means too many unprepared students are now taking them. The English language and composition AP course was the most popular among Florida's 2013 graduates, for example, and not quite 52 percent passed the exam.

But others argue that even students who do not pass benefit from a taste of college while in high school.

The College Board also credited Florida for boosting AP success among groups of students who historically have been excluded, including those from low-income families. The percentage of those students graduating with a passing AP score jumped from about 7 percent a decade ago to 31 percent last year.

"Florida is a national leader in providing students access to college-level coursework while they are in high school," said Education Commissioner Pam Stewart in a statement. The courses give students a chance to "experience the rigor of a postsecondary education and earn college credit before they graduate."